A Broken Man
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Izzie comforts Alex in the wake of "Freedom". The devastated man continues to break down.


Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy.

**Broken Man**

Izzie rocked Alex back and forth as he continued to sob.

"You're going to be okay," she soothed.

"I'm not going to be okay," Alex sobbed.

"Of course you are. You're going to get through this, Alexander Karev."

"It brought back all the bad memories. I tried to help," he sobbed.

"I know you did. You tried your best with Rebecca. You probably tried your best with your mom."

"I just left the bathroom for a minute. How was I supposed to know Momma knew where I kept my razor?" a devastated Alex asked Izzie through harsh sobs.

Izzie closed her eyes and continued to rock him back and forth.

"I don't know exactly what was wrong with your mom. She was probably very sick, Alex. She was probably as sick as Rebecca. How old were you when she died?"

"Fourteen," Alex wept.

Izzie sighed. "How old were you when you started to take care of her?"

"Six," he cried.

"You took care of her eight years, Alex. You probably kept her alive for longer than she would have if you hadn't been there."

"I had to take care of Mommy," he sobbed.

"I know you did. But too much responsibility was placed on your shoulders."

"I wanted to do better this time," he wept.

"Alex, you did the best you could," Izzie repeated.

"Please don't leave me. Please," Alex sobbed.

Izzie felt her heart break even more. Alex had seemed stuck on the phrase please for ten minutes before he stopped talking and just cried for fifteen straight minutes.

"I won't leave," Izzie promised.

"Please," Alex repeated.

"Alex, look at me. I promise not to leave you."

"I love you," he sobbed.

Izzie smiled. "I love you too, Alex."

"I'm sorry about cheating on you," Alex wept. Izzie frowned at the non sequitor.

"I forgave you a long time ago," she assured him.

"Please don't leave me," Alex begged, repeating what he had just said.

"I'm not going to leave you."

Alex dissolved into harsher sobs and Izzie continued to rock him back and forth.

Meredith and Derek walked past the room, but turned around and came in when they saw Izzie comforting the devastated man.

"What's wrong with him?" Meredith asked izzie.

"Alex couldn't handle taking care of Rebecca and she tried to kill herself."

"I tried," Alex whimpered.

"His mother was sick when Alex was growing up and he took care of her. Unfortunately, she killed herself. Rebecca's attempt to kill herself brought back of all the bad memories," Izzie explained.

Meredith and Derek both sat down on the bed while Izzie comforted the broken man in her arms.

"My mother tried to kill herself right in front of me when I was a little girl," Meredith told Alex.

Alex's sobs continued. Derek shot a shocked look towards his girlfriend.

"Karev, you're going to be fine. You just experienced a minor setback," Derek told him.

"Everything hurts," Alex sobbed.

"It'll get better soon," Meredith assured him, her voice cracking.

"It doesn't felt like it," he sobbed.

"You just need to calm down and start thinking clearly," Izzie told him, still rocking the devastated man back and forth.

"Please stay with. Please," Alex begged.

"I already told you I would," Izzie gently reminded him.

"You just have to think positive," Meredith told Alex.

"I can't," he cried.

"Of course you can, Kiddo," said Derek.

Alex's breath hitched and he laid his head against Izzie's shoulder.

A few minutes later, Alex fell asleep. He had cried himself to sleep.

"This is a bad position," Izzie whispered to Meredith and Derek.

"He should be okay in the morning," Meredith whispered.

"I don't think so," Izzie said, rubbing her hand up and down Alex's back to calm him down and keep him asleep.

"We'll go to bed now," Derek told Izzie, who didn't seen to realize the two were back together.

Meredith nodded, and she and Derek left the room.

Izzie lay down on a pillow and pulled Alex down with her so his head was on her stomach.

Izzie woke up to Alex shaking with sobs. It was 7:30AM.

"What's wrong?" Izzie asked. Alex shook his head and continued to shake with the force of his sobs.

"I don't feel so great," he wept.

"I know you don't, Alex. You're probably pretty sad right now, and that's okay. But if you keep this up, you're going to get dehydrated. Do you want to go the hospital?"

Alex shook his head and continued sobbing.

"Then let's go downstairs and get something to drink."

Izzie helped him off the bed, and the two went downstairs to the living room. She had been heading for the kitchen, but Alex had looked ready to bolt. She sat him down on the couch and handed Alex a bottle of water.

"Everything will look better once you calm down," Izzie told him.

Alex's sobs finally began to abate, but he leaned his head against Izzie's shoulder.

Izzie rubbed her hand up and down Alex's back.

He finally stopped crying a few minutes later.

As rational thought finally began to return to Alex for the first time since Rebecca had returned to Seattle Grace, he felt embarrassed.

"I feel so stupid," he whined to Izzie.

"Don't feel stupid. You just couldn't handle something bad that happened to you. It happens to everyone."

"I love you, Iz.

"I love you too, Alex.

As the sun rose on a new day, Alex knew things were far from away.

But they would be eventually.

He had hope.

The End

* * *

I watched the Alex reveals he he took care of his mother and Alex sobbing scene so many times. I love Crying!Alex. I love it when men cry on TV. The weird thing is it makes me uncomfortable in real life. I have no idea why. I just wanted to do a piece where Izzie comforts Alex. I included Derek and Meredith because I wanted to set this in "Trapped In A Elevator." I realized I couldn't, but I brought Derek in anyway. I also had Meredith comforting Alex because Meredith went through a traumatizing event. I did change one thing-In the original version, Alex started taking care of his mom when he was eight and she killed herself when he was eighteen. I instead made it six and fourteen, which would lead to more Alex angst-He would have to deal with an abusive father for four years.


End file.
